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We're Jeff & Brittany, two wine-loving travelers (or travel-loving wine-Os depending on the day!) and here you'll find the ins and outs of our journey. We share our best travel tips and must see locations, under the radar wines, hidden restaurants, and hints to taste wine like a pro across the globe. So, fellow Vino Vagabond, grab a glass (or two) and lets hit the road! Cheers!

Mar 2 Another Great Hike in Bariloche- Refugio Frey

Less than 12 hours after our epic day of hiking and biking, we and our two Chilean roommates decided to embark on yet another mountain adventure: Hiking to Refugio Frey.

Refugio Frey is a mountain refuge about a four-hour hike from the tiny tourist town of Catedral. Hikers can bring tents and use the facilities for free (bathroom, water, kitchen, etc), or even buy a proper bed inside the Refugio for about $60 AR which includes dinner. Since we already paid for our room at the hostel, we chose not to stay overnight and just hike up and back down the same day.

To get to the start of the trailhead, we took a 25 minute bus ride from downtown Bariloche to Catedral for $8 AR. It's worth noting that this particular bus only comes once an hour on the :15, so it requires a little more planning than with the other, more frequent busses.

We got on the trail about noon, and followed the spray-painted red markers on rocks and trees. The path was moderately difficult, but super fun and astoundingly beautiful. We wound along Lake Nahuel Huapi, tip-toed over rickety wooden bridges,walked through a forest of sky-scraping trees, down to a bubbling river and then straight uphill through rocky trenches.

By the time we arrived at Refugio Frey the sun was already starting its descent and we had only a couple of hours before sunset. We made the most of them though, and took tons of pictures, chatted up some fellow hikers, ate lunch, and dozed with our feet in the water. Yeah...we pinched ourselves.

Another really cool thing about the Refugio is that cathedral-like peaks completely surround it, so mountain climbers are everywhere. We were almost more nervous than they were as we watched them latch onto the rock face and scramble inside the narrow crevasses that sliced up the mountains. Talk about live entertainment!

Also, a lot of hikers we talked to were doing the full 'Refugio Circuit'. It takes 5 days and stops at all 4 mountain refugios, all with more or less the same facilities. From what we heard, the circuit gets more difficult as it progresses, but is an amazing experience for those who love to hike or just need some peace and quiet.

The time finally came for us to head back into civilization and the hike down took us about 2.5 hours. We hopped on the last bus of the night (9:15pm) and ended our day exhausted, a little sore, but super giddy from our last two days in Bariloche!

They said it would be wildly beautiful and rugged and unpredictable, but no one told me about this wind! I legitimately almost blew away more times than I can count. We’re talking 100-120km per hour winds people. Think about that. For those of you who know me, you know how I feel about wind. 😖🌬 #Patagonia #windsfordays #istillcantbrushmyhair

The path ahead isn’t always a straight or easy one but it’s almost always interesting and worth the effort! Especially when you squeeze through deep crystal blue crevasses and ultimately end up with a glass of whiskey and glacial ice! This was every bit as awesome as we’d hoped!! #patagonia #peritomorenoglacier #adventuretravel

The epic Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate, Argentina...98 square miles and 220 feet high it’s part of the 3rd largest ice field in the world (after Antarctica and Greenland.) Its also one of the only glaciers in the world that’s *not* receding! AND we’re about to go hike on it! #patagonia #peritomorenoglacier #adventuretravel

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! And yes, he is the best package ever! 🎄❤️

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